This path is for you if the file has become the system. Parts move from a sheet that is now a liability, to real tables, keys, cleaning, a clean export, and a one-page contract for the table. Start with the first part on this page.
- 1 When a spreadsheet becomes a risk to your business Spreadsheets start handy and can end as multiplayer systems of record with no owner. Learn the liability ladder, red flags, and Monday fixes before you trust a file with a real decision.
- 2 Keep spreadsheet data in plain tables, not decorated cells Headers once, one value per cell, tidy vs wide. Turn pretty spreadsheet layouts into analysis tables that filter, join, and export without drama.
- 3 Keys, IDs, and joining in plain English Why customer_id beats matching on names. Primary keys, foreign keys, one-to-many joins, and sheet habits that keep IDs stable.
- 4 How to clean data in Google Sheets before you analyze it A practical Sheets cleaning pass: trim, dates, splits, nulls, and deduping only after grain is clear. Keep raw copies; log your steps.
- 5 How to export spreadsheet data cleanly into SQL or a data warehouse UTF-8 CSVs, honest types, ISO dates, no totals rows, and a handoff note so pipelines and people load what you meant to ship.
- 6 What is a table contract? How to document what a data table means One page that records grain, keys, ownership, columns, exclusions, and allowed use so multiplayer tables stay trustworthy.